Fountain pen



Aug. l2, 1930.v n R. A. FRlTscH 1,772,628

FOUNTAIN PEN Filed June, 20. 192'? f5 54* I w47, I

Patented ug. 'i f UNITED. STATES 30cm nrrscn,

romain rmt This invention aims to providea fountain pen ofthe self-filling type-which is capable of being filled through the writing end, and f which may conveniently be filled with the use of only one hand for the purpose. The

invention further aims to improve the details of construction of self-filling fountainpens, increase greatly Vtheir proportional capacity and' to improve their operation under neglect 1o and abuse. Other objects and advantages of the construction are hereinafter more fully described in connection withthe embodiments of the invention shown in the drawings which accompany and form a part of this specification.

`In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal central section of. a pen illustratinga preferred embodiment of my invention, showing the piston and' barrel. in relative position to begin the filling stroke:

Fig. 2 is a view showing-a cross-section of i the piston on the line 2-2, Fig. 1, looking in the direction ofthe arrows, and also showing the front end of the barrel. the barrel and g5 piston being in an angular relationship different from thatfofFig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view of the rear end of the barrel on a central longitudinal plane perpendicular to the plane of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal central section of a.-

pen showing modifications of certain details;

Fig. 5 is a partial longitudinal sectional view illustrating a modified piston construction, and a cap;

a5 Fig.` 6 is a sectional view indicating the position ofthe parts during the filling operation.

The preferred form of my fountain pen (Fig. l)l consists of a barrel 1 free from openings or movable members except at the lower or writing endsaid lower end being closed by a. piston 2, which carries the writing ele ment and which is held and reciprocably guided in the barrel by a bushing 3 screwed or otherwise secured -to the lower end of said the upper end, said boss appunti@ mea :una 20,1997. aerial ne. maso.

or omesso, rumors; assioma, 'ro somt uwnu, or cnxcaco, Tumors barrel and formin a continuation thereof and finishing neck c osure therefor. External screw'threads 4 may be provided 'near the lower end of thebarrel to hold a cap (not shown in Fig. 1); Said barrel, as closed .b

said bushing and piston, constitutes the in reservoir of the pen. The barrel 1 is preferably of uniform diameter throu hout, and free from interior projections or o structions except for a boss 5 extending inwardly from threa ed or otherwise vpxeparedfor the attachment of an im erforatecentral axial .fillingl tube 6 exten ing approximatel the lengt of the barrel, affording a flui boss 5 is transversel slotted as at 7 to permit conventional orm. Internallyit consists of a cylindricalv passage 8 through the lower portion, and an outward conical taper 9l in the upper .,part, said taper enlar ing to substantially the lnside diameter o the barrel at the inner junction of the pistonA therewith. A straight longitudinal ke way 10 is chan neled inside said cylindricaf7 passage to guide an external key 11 on the .piston during the filling operation, as hereinafter described.

Said iston, which may beof either inte gral or uilt-up construction, consists of two tubular cylindrical end sections, 12 and 13, sized for a sliding fit within the cylindrical lbushing passage 8 and within the lowerend conduit or connection between the piston and the reservoir during the filling eing internally of the barrel, respectively, land an intermediate tapered section 14 connecting the two. Said section 13 is circumferentially grooved at 13 (Fig. 1), said grooves being adapted to collect ink, thus forming fluid seals between the piston and ythe barrel. Said tapered section is made to seat firmly with friction `gripping effect upon the corresponding internal taper 9 of the bushing, so as to prevent relative movement between the piston and barrel while writing and to make an inktight closure, the angle between the taper and gitudinal passages within the sect-ions 12 and 14, the lower being longer thanthe upper and of lesser diameter. The upper passage,

which is within the portion 13, is of enlarged diameter to avoid reductionof the ink capacity of the reservoir. 'These tw internal sections arejoinedby a fiat annular face 15. A y plug 3 piece16,which' also constitutes a feeding lelement is rigidly fitted into the lower section ,12 .of .the piston, saidk plug piece sup# portinga pen .pointer/nib 17 by the extensioni-18, somewhat 4fla-,ttenedon the bottom, preventingl the; How of ink except through clmrllnls `provided :for f the purpose. These channelscomprise acentral holel9 open at the topand-terminating in a rounded bottom 20, and a smaller hole 21, slightly more than capillary. rsifze, yinclining sharply upward, leading into anjoutenfeed duct 22 o n the surface ofj theplug piece beneath, the pen point-17 .1; Bygthissharpchange in direction of ink flow between the'holes 19 and 21, flooding of thepenpointis prevented. The pen point is o' conventional form except that the--tip'lof the base: end is vturned'squarely downward, forming a small lug 23 which fits into acorresponding recess in the plug pieceV 16, thus positively locking the point in place between the iston wall and the plug piece. The top o thecentral passage 19 is tapered as at 24 to guide the lower end ofV the central axial .tube-6 into easyv entrance when the pistonis moved upward, and the relative lengths of the plug piece and the central tube are such that when the piston is in the extended position, for writing, the lower end of thecentral'tube is below the top ofthe central passage but outvo contact with the walls thereof, leaving a restricted opening for the down flow of ink, as shown in Fig. l. The central axialv tube 6 is surrounded by a coiled spring 25 seated at one end on the lug 5 inthe top of the reservoir and at'the other end on the annular shoulder 15, the ends 26 and 27 of said spring being turned down into'recesses in their respective seats (Fig. 1). The angular relation'of the opposite ends of the spring issuch-that when the piston is so far extended asto free the key 11 from the keyway v10, the piston will be turned rela- `31, said tube being imperforatc except for an open bottoni and a series of holes 34 near theV top, permitting the flow of ink and air during filling. -In this modification the external form of the piston is the same as shown infFig. 1, but the internal construction diflfers in that the lower and upper cylindrical passages 35 and 36 are connected by a re- 'stricted orifice 37 through an otherwise solid part 38 which is about the same. length as 'the tapered section. The restriction o said orificef37 prevents flooding. The lower passage isclosed by: asolid plug piece 39 having an ink duct 40 on one side whereby ink is fed be` neath the pen point 41. VIn this form of the invention an operating spring 42 surrounds the central tube 33 for only about the lower half of its length, the upper end of the spring being enlarged as at 43, and fastened to the inside of the barrel, and the lower end being fastened tothe piston, the relation of the ends being such as to produce the same torsional effect as in theembodiment shown by F ig. 1. A key 44 and keyway45, of similarconstruction and effect to members 11 and 10, Fig. 1, are rovided.

Fig. 5 illustrates a further modification of piston construction whereinthe upper end 46, of the piston, above the taper 47, is made of flexible` material, afterthe manner of a cup leather, held to the lower part 48 by a flanged bushing 49 screwed into the upper end of said lower part. The flexible material is held against the inside of the barrel 50 bv a coiled expander spring 51. This form of piston is intended foruse with other appropriate elements of the fountain pen assembly such as are shown byy Figs. 1 and 4.

F i0. 5 also illustrates a method of preventing the escape of ink between a cap 52 and the body of the pen. A shoulder 54 within the cap, circularly ridged, seatsagainst the frontl face 55 of the barrel bushing, in such manner that the grooves between the ridges constitute fluid sealing means to prevent leakage of ink. As an alternative to this construction the shoulder within the cap may be smooth and the front end of the barrel bushingr grooved, as at 56, Fig. 1.

In all the embodiments of my invention the various component elements may be assembled in any suitable manner, preferably by screw threads or force fits. i

It is to be understood that such features as are not specifically described in connection with each of my various modificationsV described and that the characteristic features of the several'embodiments, where not inconsistent, may be used together or in part modilied in various combinationsotherthan those herein shown and described. c f

To fill my improved pen the piston and barrel are rotated -relatively to each other to bring the key 11 into registry with the' keyway 10. T hismayconveniently be4 done by holding the flattened bottom ofthe extension 18 (F ig. 1) on the edge of a desk and turning the barrel. The point is then 'submerged in ink against `an unyielding surface as' shown in Fig. 6, and the barrel alternately pushed down by hand and allowed to rise by the action of the spring, the length of the stroke bein limited sufficiently to keep the key'in the eyway. The down stroke reduces the size of vthey ink chamber, forcing air out through the passage 7 (Fig. 3) or the holes 34 (Fig. 4) through the tube 6 or 331 and the piston passages. The up stroke sucks ink up through the same course. ,This ink falls into the -bottom of the reservoir, whence it cannot escape, except in minute quantities at the beginning of the succeeding down stroke, for the reason that the Vbottom llowopening is narrowly restricted, and moreover this opening is closed'bv the beginning of thedown stroke. Completion of filling will be indicated by cessation of bubbles from the point, andby increasing resistance to the downstroke caused by expulsion of ink instead of air. It will be seen, however, that no injury to the pen can yresult from unnecessary con-` tinuation ofthe pumping process,` since this will only cause ,a continued circulation of ink. After filling, the spring pushes the piston to full extension. disengaging the kev from the keyway, and the torsional effect of the spring moves theparts into the relative positionvofy Fig. 2. l

When due to dryness at the pen point or other causes. the flow of ink for wrlting does not readily begin, it may be started by pushing the barrel downward on the piston, Ithe space between the lower-end of the bushing 3 and the upper end of the kev 11 allowing just suicient travel for such a prlming stroke.

While I have shown and described my 1nvention for use with a pen-point, it will bef understood that a stylographic tip, or other writing element, may besubstituted therefor, in combination with such features ofmy 1nvention as are capable of use therewith.

It will be seen from the foregoing that I have invented a pen of simple and durable construction, reliable and etiicient in operation, easily and cheaply manufactured, and leak proof by reason of having no operating openings in the top or sides of the barrel.

I provide maximum ink capacity in relation to the external dimensions of the' pen -byi reason of eiiicient .use of the interior of the barrel, 'for thereasons that there'i's no sack, that the s ringis placedwthin the reservoir thus avoi ing a spring containing chamber which could not contain ink, that the central illin tube-is filled whenthe'reservoir is full, an

, that the hollow piston forms an'eifective part yofthereservo'ir. 'f"

Having described certain preferred *embodiments of my invention withoutrestr'icting myself thereto, what'I claim is 1. yfountain pen comprising a barrel having no opening-exceptvat the lower end, a

' piston fitted for limitedl reciprocation insaid lower end, saidbarrel having'a -contracted bore'y formingl a continuation of said lower end, said ;piston y-projecting` through said bore and being conically tapered along a portion of its length; and'said'borefbeingcorrespondingly tapered to'V receive ,said tapered portionof'said piston with ay firm 'closing fit. 2. A fountain vpen comprising a barrel havingno opening-exceptat the Alower en'd, a' piston fitted for limited reciprocation in said lower end', a bushing forming va continuation ofsaid lower end, said piston projecting through said bushing, ysaid piston being tapered along a portion of itslen'gth, said bushing being correspondingly ltapered to receive said tapered portion of `said piston with' a firm closing and gripping fit.

3. Ina fountain pen of the character described, a barrel, apiston mounted for limited reciprocationwithin vSaid barrel, and adapted to partially-project from one end thereof, a key upon said projecting portion,

travel in said key-way but capable of lying entirely. outsidel thereof, said 'key `adapted when withln said keyway to prevent rotation of said p1ston,said keyadapted when without said keyway to narrowly restrictreciprocation of said piston.

5 In a fountain pen characterized by a reciprocable piston in` thewriting end, in combination, a nib-supporting plug piece constltutlng a part of said piston and having filling and feeding ink passages therel through. said passages comprising a central longitudinal passage closed at the lower end,

a reduced passage sharply y inclined upward from said lower end, andanexterior ink duct, saidreduced passage forming an ink channel between said longitudinal passage and saidl exteriorink duct. p

6. "Inl a'fountain penA characterized by a noA reciprocable piston in the writing end, in combination, a nib-supporting plug piece constituting a part of said piston and having filling and feeding ink passages there through, said passages comprising a central longitudinal passage closed at the lower end, a reduced passage inclined upward from said lower end, and an exterior ink duct, said reduced passage forming an ink channel between said longitudinal passage and said exterior ink duct.

7. In a self-filling fountain pen characterized by a reciprocable piston operable through the writing end, means for automatically altering the angular position of said piston from its normal reciprocating position to its writing position, and means for limiting the extent of reciprocation of said piston possible in the writingposition.

8. In a fountain pen of the character described, in combination, a barrel, a reciprocable element in one end of said barrel, a writing point in said reciprocable element, a lug at the base of said writing point, a recess in said reciprocable element wherein said lug isadapted to seat, whereby said writing point is positively secured in proper position in said reciprocable element.

9. In a fountainv pen, in combination, a casing member, the internal diameter of said casing member being reduced within one end, a tapered portion .within said casing member whereby said reduction is accomplished, a

- piston mounted for limited rec1procation :1i within said reduced end of said casing member, and atapered portionon said piston adapted to seat firmly upon said tapered portion within said casing member.

10. In afountain pen of theself-filling type, a barrel, a bushin Vof less internal diameter than said barre on the lower end thereof, areciprocable writing-element-carrying filling member in said barrel, said member comprising a piston formedof a reduced cylindrical lower portion within said bushing, a flexible upper portion within said barre Vhaving an expansion spring therein, a flanged bushing securing said upper to said lower portion, and an externally tapered section connecting said upper and lower portions.

11. In a fountain pen, in combination, a barrel, a reciprocable piston mounted in the lower end of said barrel, a'writing element carried b said piston, a longitudinal central filling tube in said barrel, adapted to coact with said piston, and a piston-actuating sprin surrounding said central tube.

12., n a fountain pen, in combination, a barrel, a reciprocable piston mounted tin the lower end of said barrel a writing element -barrel an Vaxial tube in sai bearing at one end upon said pistouY rotate said barrel 'and said piston upon the disengagement of said guide elements.

14. In a fountain pen, in combination, a;

barrel, a iston reciprocably mounted in the lower en of said barrel said barrel and piston being (providedwitli relative guide elements, sai guide elements being capable of disengagement, a sprin having its opposite ends tortionall secure to and bearing upon said barrel an said piston, tendin "to push said piston out of said barrel an to turn said piston relatively to said barrel, thereby automatically disengaging said ide elements and moving them angular y out of reg . bination, a barrel, a reciprocab e pen-carrying filling member in the lower end of said barrel, a boss within the up r end of said dpliarrel secured in sai boss and reachi to and adapted for cooperation with saidnlling member, and slots in said boss providing communication between said tube and said barrel.

16. In a self filling type of fountain pen, incombination, a 'rigid reservoir open only at its lower end, a self gri ping and self releasing pen carrying mem r with means for its reciprocation in said lower end to fill said reservoir by alternate ex ulsion of air and suction of ink through sai pen carrying member and an inner by ass tube for alternate passage of air and ink tween said reservoir and said pen-carryin member.

17. In a self lfilling type of ountain pen in combination, a ri 'd ink reservoir, a self gripping and self re easing combined piston an point carrying element o rable through an opening in the lower and.e of said reservoir and arra for reciprocation therein so as to fill said reservoir by the alternate expulsion of air and intake of ink through said point carrying element.

18. In a fountain pen of the character de scribed, in combination, a barrel, a reciprocable piston in one end of said barrel comprising a tubular filling and feed element and a lug piece fixed therein, a nib supported etween said element and said plu'g piece, a lug on said nib, a recess in a member of said piston adapted to receive said lug, whereby said nib is positively locked in position in said reciprocable piston.

19. In a fountain pen, in combination, a

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reservoir solidly closed except at the ink feeding end, an ink-feeding passa leading therefrom, a device reciprocable t erein for filling the reservoir through said ink eedin 5 end, and matchinv tapered surfaces on sai device and on said5 reservoir adapted to hold said device frictionally, thereby closing said reservoir except for said ink-feeding passage. In testimony whereof,l I have signed my name to this s ecication.

ROCKEL` EXANDER FRITSCH. 

